Roy Duncan Park and Van Lang Community House

Phase One (2009) and Phase Two (2010) of the Roy Duncan Park were projects led by the Westboro Beach Community Association (WBCA) in conjunction with a number of partners. Phase 1 is now complete and was developed with the City of Ottawa, Dovercourt Recreation Centre and the Carlington Community Health Centre. The improvements to the park included new playground equipment, leveling and sod for the soccer field. WBCA was also successful in obtaining funding for a community garden. Funds for phase one included project money from the City of Ottawa’s 15 year replacement of captial assets and a financial contribution from the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa West.

Phase 2 of the park project was undertaken in November 2010. It included the purchase of three benches, new fencing, a gate from the park to the larger Westboro Beach neighborhood, a flag pole, a community bulletin information board and the removal of debris from a wooded area close to the park. WBCA received $27,000 in funding from the City of Ottawa cash-in-lieu of parkland funding to complete this work. The WBCA received funds amounting to $5950 as a result of successfull applications to the Harry P. Ward Foundation,the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa West and the Max Keeping Foundation. The City of Ottawa Forestry Services Department will be planting four oak trees in the spring of 2011. One red oak is to be planted to the north of the bench and 3 burr oak will be planted along the slope next to 285 Churchill Avenue. The three planting will complete phase two of the park.

Official Opening of Phase Two

The Westboro Beach Community Association and the Van Lang Tenants Group will work with the Carlington Community Health Centre Moms and Tots Group to have a barbeque and official opening of phase two of the Park. The date of the event is either late June or July 1. Local dignitaries will raise the flag to commemorate the official opening of phase two of the park.

Van Lang Community House Phase Three

The WBCA is working with the Van Lang Mortimer Tenants Group and the Carlington Community Health Centre to establish a community house at the Van Lang /Scotthill Housing area. The town houses and one of the two towers is owned by Ottawa Community Housing. Two other apartment buildings adjacent to Van Lang would also be able to use the services of the community house. The 2008 survey of tenants carried out by community partners identified the need for space for community programming as a major concern.

The community house is Phase Three of the renewal. The community house will be a place for the residents to meet as well as where services could be offered such as primary health care, English as a second language training, access to computers, youth drop in, youth employment services and other activities such as counselling services and community events. The need for a community house was made evident again last summer when an altercation with a youth living in Van Lang resulted in his shooting by Ottawa police (June 23, 2010). There was no space available for the community to debrief and get information in a timely manner. The tenants believe there is a need for programming and facilities that will help build community and find solutions to their concerns. A tenants group has been meeting in the last year to establish a tenants association so they can have a larger voice in their community. To date, they have organized a barbeque, a safety audit , a Halloween event, a community garden and a clean-up is planned for April 17 or May 1(rain date).

The Carlington Community Health Centre hopes to dedicate a youth worker one or two days a week this summer to the Scotthill area that includes residents living in the Van Lang apartment building, the Vietnamese Non-Profit Housing Corporation and the Taiga Non-Profit Housing Corporation. The WBCA applied to the Community Foundation for funds to carry out a user survey to assess the needs of the community.

In the last six months, WBCA met several times with Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) senior managers and CEO Jo-Anne Poirier to determine possible locations for a community house. Discussions centered on the workshop space at the end of the townhouses that now serves as the OCH workshop and an analysis of other off-site temporary locations.

The WBCA and other community partners are looking at building more permanent community space on the Van Lang site. Award winning architect Barry Hobin has offered to draw up the architectural drawings for the community house room. At present, an architect is looking at the site plan to identify locations for the community room. Bonnie CampbellWestboro Beach Community Association